Pad and order book holders



April 3, 1956 E. H. ANDERSON 2,740,645

PAD AND ORDER BOOK HOLDERS Filed Feb. 5, 1954 TIE-5 ATTORNEY United States Patent Office 2,740,645 Patented Apr. 3, 1956 This invention relates to an improvement in holders for pads, order and sales books and, in fact, any group of sheets that are bound or otherwise joined along a common edge.

More particularly, the invention is directed to pads and order book holders that enable users to write in an easier and more convenient manner by providing a rigid back and means for preventing displacement of the pad or book without in any way interfering with its use.

It is, of course, well known that many types of holders for loose leaf sheets, order and sales books, etc., have been produced and that many of these have apparently adequately served their purpose. However, it does appear that in many instances, the eflforts of manufacturers of such holders have gone to great length in an endeavor to provide a given holder adaptable for selective uses or selective kinds of sheets or order books. This apparently has resulted in the production of holders that are of somewhat complicated structure, bulky, and, therefore, both heavy and difficult to hold when in use, to say nothing of being expensive to manufacture.

When it is considered that a holder of the type to which the present invention is directed is merely an ad junct or an accessory provided for the more convenient use of a pad or order book, it would seem that the simpler the design or structure of the holder, the better it would serve its purpose.

The present invention has been developed primarily for the purpose of providing a holder that will serve as a suitable rigid support for a book or pad to enable convenient and easy writing thereon.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a holder that is so constructed as to enable easy mounting or removal of books or pads and will hold such books or pads against displacement during use and yet permit the removal of pages or sheets as desired.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a holder that by reason of its consisting of only two simple cooperative parts, may be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from a consideration of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing; in which Fig. l is a perspective view of a holder embodying the invention, a pad or order book being shown in position for use, parts of the pad being broken away to disclose certain structural details;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 and shows the means by which a pad or order book is held against displacement from the holder;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the holder, being taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the holder and shows the location of the spring bar intended to hold a pad or order book in place; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the holder, being taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the reference numeral 10 is employed to generally designate a holder embodying one form of the invention. This holder comprises a base plate 11 that has an area adapted to accommodate a pad or order book, such as indicated at 12. T he left-hand margin of the plate 11 is defined by an upstanding flange 13 which serves as a wall or barrier to prevent any sidewise movement or slippage of the pad or book from off this side of the base plate. The righthand edge of the plate is defined by an upstanding flange or barrier 14. This flange may extend for only a short distance along the right-hand marginal edge of the plate, commencing from the plate's upper end.

The upper edge of the plate is formed with a central semi-circular cut-out 16. Commencing adjacent the edges of this cut out, the upper edge of the plate is defined by upstanding flanges 17 and 18 which combinedly serve as a wall or barrier to endwise movement of the pad 12 beyond the upper end on plate 11. Flanges 17 and 18, adjacent the cutout 16, may be of the same height as flanges 13 and 14. However, these flanges taper ed and are of much less height at their outer ends which, as may be noted in the drawing, stop short of the side flanges of the plate. The purpose of this will be more clearly apparent with further description.

A spring bar 19 is provided as a means for securing the pad 12 against displacement. This bar is formed from spring metal and includes a central portion 21 that is slightly arched or bowed between the bends 22. Beyond these bends, the bar continues in identical straight portions 23, with the ends thereof terminated by upstanding flanges 24. The flanges 24 are shown to be of a height substantially twice the thickness of the bar 19. Adjacent the upper end of the holder, flanges 13 and 14 are formed with slots 26. These slots commence in the plane of the base plate 11 and extend upwardly a distance only very slightly in excess of the height of the flange 24. The length of each of these slots is only slightly greater than the width of the bar 19. It is pointed out that, although the present description of the invention indicates a more or less definite height to the flanges 24, this is not critical with the invention since the height of such flanges may be varied so long as the width of the slots 26 is also proportionate. In other words, flange 24 might be one fourth of an inch high and this would necessitate the provision of slightly greater than one-fourth of an inch in the width of the slot 26. In the position of rest (see Fig. 5), it will be observed that the bar 19 has contact with the base plate at only two pointsnamely, at the bends 22-and that the end portions 23 of the bar incline slightly upwardly and contact the upper edges of the slots 26; the flanges 24, of course, being beyond the side flanges l3 and 14. To mount the bar 19 in position of use, such as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it is merely necessary to insert one end portion 23 thereof through one slot 26 and then slide the bar so that the other end portion and the corresponding flange 24 registers with and may be moved through the other slot 26 to bring said flange to the exterior of one of the side flanges. Of course, during positioning the bar, one of the portions 23 must be depressed against the spring tension of the bar. With the parts as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the holder is capable of receiving and securing a pad or order book.

In order that the advantages of the invention may be more fully appreciated, a brief description of the mounting and removal of the pad 12 is set out as follows: It is customary, in the manufacture of pads, books, or other end-bound sheets, to provide a thin board backing, this backing is intended to protect the sheets of the pad, to some extent at least, against damage in handling. In

some instances, the backing may be intended as a rigiditying support in order that writing may be placed on the pad without too great distortion thereof. Generally. such backing does not adequately serve this purpose and it has been necessary to provide rigid holders of the type already indicated as having been used, as well as a holder of the type of the present invention. The pad 12 shown in the drawing is conventional in that it includes a board backing such as indicated by the reference numeral 27. When it is desired to mount the pad 12 on the holder 10, the free ends of the sheets are held slightly away from the board backing 27. Preferably, the right-hand corner of this board is projected beneath the spring bar 19 into the space 28 beneath the left-hand portion 23. This corner is now moved transversely of the holder and raises the central portion 21 and enables projecting the other corner of the backing beneath the same end portion 23. The entire end of the backing now projects beneath and beyond the bar and it is merely necessary to slide the entire pad in a lengthwise direction of the holder until the bound end thereof passes over the end flanges 17 and 18,

As long as the binding, whatever form it may take, remains intact, the pad 12 will be held on the holder by means of the spring bar 19 being engaged with the backing. If the holder is designed for a given size pad, such pad will. completely till the space between the flanges 13 and 14 and thus cannot slide one way or another out of place. However, even if a smaller pad is mounted in the manner above described, the spring tension of the bar 19, together with the fact that the bound end of the pad bears against flanges l7 and 18, will be suflicient to prevent undesirable twisting or sliding. It is to be particularly noted that the pad cannot become accidentally or otherwise displaced from the holder, without tearing, so long as the bound edge thereof is within the limits of the upper end of the holder. The reason for this lies in the fact that the thickness of the ordinary board backing on a pad is sufficient to raise the entire bar 19 just enough so that even by depressing either flange 24 such flange cannot be moved sufiiciently to register with the slot 26 and enable endwise displacement or withdrawal of the bar. It is not to be understood, however, that the pad 12 cannot be removed from the holder should the occasion arise. Due to the provision of the cut'out l6 and the fact that the bar 19 is sufliciently removed from the upper end of the base plate, it is possible to grasp the bound end of the pad through the cut-out 16 and lift this end above the higher portions of the flanges 17 and 18. The pad may now be readily withdrawn from the holder and another pad inserted in the manner set out.

It will be understood that, although applicant has shown and described only one form of the invention, the holder may be modified, such, for example, as by changing the proportions of the base plate, varying the height of the side flanges, as well as the cooperative proportions of the spring bar and securing slots, and that such modifications are contemplated as being within the spirit and scope of the invention insofar as they are set out in the annexed claims.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim as new and for which I desire protection by Letters Patent is:

1. A pad holder comprising a base plate, flanges defining, at least in part, the side edges of said plate, said flanges having slots adjacent corresponding ends thereof. a spring bar extending across the face of said plate consisting of a central bowed portion connected by substantially plane end portions that incline away from said plate and cause said central portion, at least in part, to yieldingly contact said plate, upturned flanges terminating said end portions, said slots being proportioned to permit passage of said upturned flanges therethrough when the end portions of said bar are depressed into contact with the face of said plate, the space between said end portions and said plate enabling inserting the backing of a pad beneath said bar and causing said bar, in cooperation with said side flanges, to secure said pad against inadvertent displacement from said holder.

2. A pad holder comprising a base plate, flanges forming pad barriers on opposite sides of said plate, said flanges having slots adjacent corresponding ends thereof, a spring bar extending across the face of said plate and including upwardly inclined end portions projecting away from said plate and extending through said slots, upturned flanges terminating said end portions, said end portions being depressable into approximate contact with the face of said plate to enable moving said upturned flanges through said slots into engagement with said side flanges to prevent endwise displacement of said bar, the space between said end portions and said plate enabling inserting the backing of a pad beneath said bar and causing said bar, in cooperation with said side flanges, to secure said pad' against inadvertent displacement from said holder.

3. A pad holder comprising a base plate, upstanding flanges defining opposite edges of said plate, one end of said plate having a centrally located semi-circular cut-out. enabling gripping a pad within the limits of said holder, flanges on said end commencing adjacent said cut-out and tapering off towards said edges, said edge end flanges cooperating to provide locating means for the sides and end of a pad, a spring bar extending across the face of said plate and being bowed to provide a central area of contact with said plate, upturned flanges at the ends of said bar, said upstanding flanges having slots adjacent the plate end, said slots extending upwardly from the plane of said plate and being of a height to permit passage thercthrough of said bar flanges, the central area of said bar being in pressure contact with said plate when the ends of said bar project through said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

